Oncoming Storm
by morbiusgreen
Summary: A week after the principal of North High is murdered, Ryouko Asakura returns as does...another mysterious transfer student? Haruhi sees it as more than a coincidence, but not even she knows what she's getting herself and the Brigade into...
1. Chapter 1

**Midnight's POV**

_Life sucks._

That was the constant thought running through my head as I watched the random channel I had the television on. It was 11:40 P.M. The sky outside was full of stars. Outside my apartment, the city of Quinnville, Oregon, glistened like a model town they have at some stores in Seaside or Lincoln City.

My name is not important. Everyone I know just calls me Midnight. Don't ask me why. Some people have told me that it's because of my dark hair. Others have said it's because I'm a night owl. Still others have said that it's a mixture of the two. But that's the name I go by. Midnight. Get used to it.

I have a part time job as a waiter at a local restaurant, but my hobby is detective work. I have a website with which clients can contact me. It's virtually untraceable.

Now, the very odd thing is the type of crowds I somehow manage to cross with my "hobby." Even though I take what you might think are normal cases, such as missing persons, fraud, murder et cetera, I somehow manage to cross a special group of people with every case I get. I call them Paranorms. These consist of aliens, witches, warlocks, vampires, time travelers, demons, angels, and various other paranormal creatures or phenomenon. The only normal group that I cross is the Syndicate, a secret international organization who are on the lookout for Paranorms to exploit.

I don't know why, but every time I try to take a normal case I always seem to end up crossing the path of one or more Paranorms. I've even had Paranorm clients who ask for my help. And since my website says, "I won't be racist," I have to take their cases. Which, all in all, isn't that bad, since my Paranorm clients are the ones who pay more handsomely than my regular clients, who do pay a substantial amount more than what I charge.

As a result of one of my earliest Paranorm client's payment of a teleporter system, I can now travel to the other side of the world instantly to take on cases, which has opened a great amount of doors for me. Hardly a month goes by when my services are not requested for a case.

This month had been one of those rare cases where I hadn't had an e-mail or call so all I had to do was live a normal life, or, what you might consider normal for a twenty one year old who lives by himself in a two bedroom apartment. I would just do homework for college, then watch TV or played video games until I fell asleep or went to bed.

Tonight was one of those nights for me, except that my online college classes had ended for the summer, so I didn't have any homework. I lay on the couch watching some stupid cartoon. There was nothing better on anyway. The main character, some green cat, was at some store getting something for his pet geese. He was bumbling his way through the store, like his character usually did.

_Rrrriiinnnggg!_

I was half asleep when my phone rang. My eyes shot open and I jumped in surprise.

_Rrrriiinnnggg!_

It rang a second time. I tossed my Snuggie off and walked over to the phone. It was my business cell.

_Finally, a case,_ I thought. I won't lie to you. I really enjoyed my hobby. Solving mysteries was one of life's simple pleasures for me. I reached over and picked the phone off of the receiver.

"Detective Midnight. How may I help you today?" I said in my business tone. I waited for a response. Fifteen seconds passed, and nothing happened. I repeated my business line. Finally, I heard someone inhale.

"_The owl cries at midnight,_" a female voice finally said.

I smiled. A lot of my clients would say that. It was part of my standard procedure. If they didn't want to tell me about their problem over the phone, they had to use certain code phrases to indicate that.

"Where does he fly after he cries?" I replied. This meant, "Where do you want to meet?"

Another pause, and then, "_Where two cherry blossoms fell and destroyed the ant's home._"

Ah. That meant Japan. The two "cherry blossoms" referred to the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"Where did he land?" I asked again.

"_Where the books are underwater._"

A rarely used answer. Well, if we were going to meet somewhere in Japan, the place where they held Comiket would be a good place, I guess.

"How long did it take for the owl to reach the tree?"

"_Twenty minutes._"

My eyes widened. I looked at my clock. Sure enough, midnight was only twenty minutes away. I converted, and that made the local time in Japan about 3:40 P.M. tomorrow.

"Indeed?"

"_Indeed_." And the girl hung up.

Well. Another standard call. I went to my room and got dressed. Not that I was naked to begin with, but I was only in shorts and a t-shirt. I got dressed and picked up my "suitcase," a small box that I attached to my keychain and hung it around my neck. What no one knew was that it was a device that could hold virtually an entire large swimming pool of water and all equivalent amounts of material. I had received it as payment from one of my Paranorm clients, an intergalactic trader of goods who I had saved from a group of rogue vampires. It came in handy keeping things together such as clothes, identification, and weapons I used against Paranorms or humans.

I went to the only room in the house that was empty: the back room. In the middle of the room was a small circular pad. I looked at my watch. I had five minutes. When the computer announced that it was ready, I gave the order. A bright light permeated the room. Soon I was dissolving. Suddenly I was standing in a small alley. The sun was overhead. It was warm. I head people walking and talking in Japanese.

I looked at my watch. I had four minutes. I looked out. The teleport had done its job effortlessly. I saw the building where Comiket was usually held. I walked out and tried to blend in.

Which is quite hard to do if the people are all Japanese. Thinking about Comiket got me to thinking. I never wasted my time watching anime or reading manga anyway. I did used to have an otaku friend who was into that, and she constantly tried to get me interested in that stuff. She would hate me forever if she could see me now.

I sat at a bench near the building. I had one minute to spare.

I was staring off into space when I felt someone sit next to me. At that moment, I felt my ring vibrate. I knew what that meant. There was a Paranorm sitting next to me. I checked the color of the jewel on my Paranorm detection ring.

And nearly froze in shock.

I had heard that humanoid interfaces for the Data Integration Thought Entity were mostly deployed in Japan, but I never expected to run into one here. I had run into only one other in a past case, and that was a brief encounter where it tried to kill me.

So you can understand my concern when I saw the pretty blue haired girl in a sailor outfit sitting next to me.

"You're a humanoid interface," I began, a hint of mistrust in my voice.

She smiled and nodded.

"You must understand," I continued, "that I am very mistrusting of interfaces. One tried to kill me last year."

"I know," she said, still smiling. "He was part of a radical group of interfaces. I used to be as well, but I am no longer."

_That didn't help you at all_, I thought. However, I couldn't be discriminatory, even to an interface. I inhaled and turned to face her once again.

"You called me, miss…?"

"Asakura. Ryouko Asakura."

Why did that sound a bit familiar? Not the name, but the way it was delivered. Ah! A James Bond type of a delivery. I'll be the first to admit I didn't know much about interfaces, but I didn't think they'd have a sense of humor.

"Okay, Miss Asakura. What exactly do you want help with?"

"I need you to act as my boyfriend."

More interface humor? I looked at her, and she did look very serious. Her smile had disappeared.

"Y…you're serious?" Sure, she was pretty, but acting as someone's boyfriend, much less an interface, wasn't part of the job description.

"I am."

"Well," I said, "this isn't exactly detective work."

"I'm not finished yet."

Okay, I thought so.

"I was created a few years ago to observe a person who can possibly help with the evolution of the Data Integration Thought Entity. However, I was merely a backup. As such, I had more free time than my primary. But I have been reassigned. There has been an incident at the school where I have been stationed."

"What kind of incident?" I asked.

"Murder."

_Bingo. Now we're in business._

"Okay, but why do you want me to act as your boyfriend?"

"To observe you."

_O…kay then._ "Wait, I thought you were observing someone else."

"I have been reassigned to observe and assist you. The Data Integration Thought Entity took notice of you after the interface called Barlow nearly killed you six months ago."

_Great. Once again I'm crossing paths with Paranorms._

"Okay, let's focus on the murder first," I said. "Who was murdered?"

"The principal of the school."

"How?"

"Stabbed sixty five times."

_Even for a murderer, that's just plain disgusting. Apparently a psychotic killer, possibly on some sort of drug._

"Where was he killed?"

"In his office."

"When?"

"12:00 P.M., local time."

_In broad daylight? How could no one have heard?_

"I have the police reports handy for you, if you wish."

_Wait, how…? Oh right. I forgot. She's an interface_. "I would like to read over them."

"Very well. Now, if you'll please follow me, you need to change."

_Change?_ I gave her a confused look. Her smile returned.

"If you're going to act as my boyfriend, you need to be in the same school as I am."

She stood and beckoned for me to follow her. I sighed, stood and followed her into the crowd. We walked down the street, which was filled with people. She led me down an alley. She suddenly stopped and turned toward me. I stopped as well.

"Please stand still," she said. She then lifted her hand. Her mouth began to move incredibly fast. She sounded like a sped up videotape. I suddenly found myself in a room. The sun was shining through the windows.

"Please follow me," the interface said, still smiling. I sighed with an air of resignation and complied. She led me to a sparse bedroom. Lying on the bed was a suit.

"Try it on," she said as she closed the door.

I sighed again, rolled my eyes and began to change. The uniform was a blue blazer with blue pants, a white dress shirt and a red tie. The blazer had a red symbol on the left lapel. When I finished dressing, I went out.

"I'm finished," I said. She appeared from the room we had materialized in.

"How does it feel?" she asked, her expression a pleasant one. Her smile had diminished a bit, but it was still a very pretty face. In fact, this interface was a very pretty one altogether. Her hair, even though it was blue, seemed to somehow suit her perfectly. Her blue eyes were also very beautiful as well. She was also very well built, for an interface. Her school uniform made her look very sexy indeed. Hey, can you blame me? I'm a young adult.

I found myself staring at her. I shook my head, embarrassed. _Reel it in, boy_, I told myself. _She's an interface. She isn't human. And even if she were, she'd never go for you anyway_.

"How does it feel, Midnight?" she repeated. She had an amused look in her eyes.

"It feels fine," I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral, and barely succeeding.

"Excellent," she said. "But there's still one thing missing. What was it…?" she stared off into space with what looked like a confused face. She frowned and seemed to be deep in thought. I could tell that it was fake. She was probably messing with me. And what she did next proved my point.

"Oh! That's right!" she said suddenly. She grabbed me by the lapels of the blazer I was wearing and pulled me uncomfortably close to her face. There was amusement lighting her eyes.

"Uh, wha–?"

I never even got to finish the sentence as she crashed her lips into mine. My eyes widened in shock and my mind froze. I was expecting anything but this from an interface. Not like I was complaining, though.

A few seconds later, she broke the kiss and released me. I collapsed to my knees. I could tell that I was blushing because my face felt incredibly warm. My heart was beating furiously.

"Well, feel any different?"

_You have got to be kidding, right?_

"What do you mean, do I…? Wha…?"

At that instant I felt like my brain had exploded. I grabbed my head and screamed. It felt like massive amounts of data had been downloaded into my mind. As everything around me swirled, the only emotion I could feel was fear.

Because I had responded to her inquiry in Japanese.

The next thing I remember I was lying on something soft. I realized that it was a bed.

"Ugh, what happened?" I asked no one in particular as I sat up. I really couldn't remember.

Then it all came back. The kiss, the massive headache, the scream, and blacking out.

Then I realized what I had just said.

"What the hell…?" I said again. Yup, I could now speak Japanese. Quite fluently, in fact. My brain had never felt so full in all my life.

Question was, could I still speak English? I tried mentally switching gears.

"Check. Testing: one, two, three." _Geronimo! I can still speak English_. I repeated the same phrase in Japanese.

"Are you ready to go?" I heard a female voice ask from behind the door. It took my fogged up mind a couple of seconds to realize that the voice was of the strange girl, no, _interface_, I had met earlier. Speaking of which, I wondered how long I was out.

I looked at my watch. I had been out for more than a few hours. My watch was set to Japanese time just minutes before I left, and right now it read 7:37 A.M.

"H…hold on, I just woke up," I stammered. I threw the very warm and comfortable clothes off, only to realize I only had underwear on. My eyes widened in shock. _Did Asakura…? She must have. Even if she is an interface sent to observe me, there are some things that should never be seen._

"Hurry up and get dressed for your new school!" she said in what sounded like a cheery voice.

_Wha…?_ _Oh, right. I'm supposed to act as her boyfriend while I investigate the murder of the principal of the school she "attends."_

Well, time to go to work. Or school, as the case may be.

* * *

><p><strong>Detective Midnight is my original character. I came up with him in a dream a few nights ago. I'm gonna swithc between his perspective and Kyon's perspective. Anyway, read, review, and enjoy!<br>**

**morbiusgreen**


	2. Chapter 2

**Kyon's POV**

You know, I hear that American students get three months off during the summer. How come Japanese students like us can't get that amount of time off?

Ah well. No sense complaining about it. Nothing I can do about it, anyway. No harm in fantasizing, right? Anyway, a longer vacation won't stop the person sitting behind me from planning Brigade activities anyway, so I guess it's just as well.

It was with this thought process that I found myself walking up the hill to school that sunny morning. Now, I have to wonder, who put's a school at the top of a hill. I mean, seriously. And why were we starting classes a week after the principal was murdered in the building? Could that be Haruhi's doing? I guess I'll never know.

While I was walking up the hill to school, I felt someone tug on my shirt. I turned and saw Nagato looking up at me with her neutral purple eyes.

"What is it, Nagato? Something wrong?"

"No." _Oh, Nagato, you're answers can sometimes leave something to be desired._

"Then, what is it?" she rarely stops me when I'm going to school. In fact, this is probably the first time.

"Ryouko Asakura has returned."

I dropped my bike and it fell to the pavement with a clank. I felt myself tense up. _Nagato, I thought you said nothing was wrong!_

"But…I thought…"

"She has been reassigned. And there is no need to worry. She will not try to kill you again."

Well, that was a bit reassuring, but not much.

"Uh, ok. Thanks for telling me, Nagato."

"You're welcome." She then walked off. I picked up my bike and resumed my walk. My thoughts, however, were a mess. Despite Nagato's promise, I was still a bit apprehensive. I mean, can you blame me? The girl did try to kill me. I was so deep in thought I didn't realize that my legs had led me to my shoe locker. As I was changing into my slippers, I heard someone coming up behind me.

"Hey, Kyon! Did you hear?"

It was Taniguchi.

"Ms. Asakura's back!" He had a lust filled look in his eye and was practically beaming with adolescent excitement.

"Yea, I heard," I replied. "So?"

"What do you mean, 'So?' do you have any idea what this means?"

_You're gonna try and hit on her with your phony pick up lines?_ "No, and neither do I care." _I am such a liar._

"How can you not be excited? The hottest girl you'll ever see is back, and all you can say is 'So?' Man, I don't know if you have any hope at all, Kyon. She's an A++!"

I groaned and lightly punched Taniguchi on the side of the head. He laughed and we walked to class.

When I got to class, Haruhi was already there. She was in a lively conversation with; you guessed it, Ms. Asakura. She was sitting in the desk next to Haruhi.

"Hey, Kyon! Look who it is!"

"I see who it is," I said as my gaze fell on the blue haired interface. She turned to me and smiled pleasantly. I nodded towards her, and then went to my desk. Haruhi kept pestering her with questions. I really didn't care, but their voices were too loud to tune out. From what I was able to gather, she moved to a small town in Oregon called Quinnville a year ago. She moved back here just recently with her new boyfriend as roommates after her parents died in a car crash a month ago. I could just hear Taniguchi's heartstrings breaking. I smiled slightly. Wait a second, a new boyfriend…?

"So, who's you're new boyfriend?" Haruhi asked, excited.

"That cutie in front of me," she pointed at the person in the desk in front of her. It was the first time I noticed him. He was laying his head on his desk like he was tired. He raised his head and waved lazily at Haruhi. Ms. Asakura's face became one of slight concern. I wasn't sure if it was fake or not.

"Aw! Still tired from last night, huh?"

I heard a bunch of heads swivel towards him. I looked up to see very shocked, and in the case of Taniguchi, very jealous faces.

"Yea," the new student said in a tired voice. "I really need to stop playing video games all night."

I could tell that no one believed him as they slowly returned to their previous conversations. He returned to resting his head on the desk. A few minutes later, I heard the door slide open and in walked Mr. Okabe. "Good morning class," he said. We greeted him back. As he entered, he looked over at Ms. Asakura and the new student.

"Ah, I see we have a new arrival and a returning student. I'm sure everyone knows Ms. Asakura."

She smiled and waved to everyone.

"And we have a transfer student from America," he said, indicating the new student. I heard Haruhi perk up at the mention of transfer student and gasp softly. _Oh great._

"Please, stand and introduce yourself," the teacher said, gesturing to the new student. He stood and, after straightening his blazer and clearing his throat, spoke.

"Uh, hello everyone," he began. "My name isn't really important. Everyone I know calls me Midnight." He used the English word, which he then translated for us. _Finally, someone with a stranger nickname than mine._

"I'm originally from a little town in the state of Oregon called Quinnville. I recently moved here because I wanted to study abroad, and Ms. Asakura here highly recommended this school. I hope to have fun learning here and getting to know your culture, which is vastly different than mine. Thank you"

He took his seat again, turned and made a questioning gesture to Asakura. She smiled and gave him thumbs up. He then smiled back at her then turned forward. For the rest of the day, he was busy taking notes and generally acting like a normal high school student, but I couldn't help feeling that he wasn't who he seemed to be.

At the end of the day, Asakura went up to him and said, "C'mon! I wanna show you the school!"

He smiled at her and followed her out of the room. After they left, Haruhi grabbed my tie and dragged me out of the room. I caught a glimpse of the strange student looking at me with a slightly confused look on his face. It was only an instant, however. Soon we were in the clubroom. Everyone else was already there, Nagato in her traditional chair, Koizumi at the table with a chess set ready and Ms. Asahina in her maid outfit preparing tea.

"I have a new assignment for the Brigade!" Haruhi said after she let go of my tie and took her place at the desk. "We have a new mystery to solve. It's only been a week since the principal was murdered, and a mysterious transfer student shows up along with Ms. Asakura, who mysteriously transferred to Canada a few years ago, as you all remember! This is too good to be true! There has to be a connection! Nagato, did she move back into your apartment complex?"

Nagato looked up from her book and nodded.

"Excellent! Now, listen up! We're all gonna meet at Nagato's apartment in exactly one hour! If you're late you get a penalty." I was sure that last part was directed at me. _And what makes you think there has to be a connection between the murder and the transfer? Well, I guess this is the type of situation you'd create. Not the murder, but the suspicious coincidence._ She then ran out, that familiar excited glimmer in her eye.

"So, I assume you heard about what she was talking about," I said as I sat down and moved one of my pawns one space ahead.

"Oh, yes I did," Koizumi replied as he moved one of his pawns two spaces.

I moved my knight to a position to get his pawn. "So, you know anything about this guy, maybe what his real name is, perhaps?"

He moved his bishop to a position to attack my knight if I got his first pawn. "My organization has had a casual interest in him recently, but we don't know all that much about him."

I moved another pawn into an attack position to his first pawn as he continued. "He is from Quinnville, Oregon. His parents were both prominent lawyers who were killed in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Afterwards he moved in with his uncle, who was a local police sheriff in Quinnville. When he was eighteen he moved out of his uncle's house and into an apartment, and that's when our organization lost track of him. We began having an interest in him about a year ago when a rogue interface for the Data Integration Thought Entity named Barlow tried to kill him a year ago in an abandoned warehouse in New York."

_Whoa_. That was news to me. I had no idea that he had an experience like mine.

"What was he doing in New York?" I asked as Koizumi moved the pawn I had threatened one spot ahead.

"Who knows? In fact, we don't have any records of him ever taking a flight to New York." I moved my knight back to threaten the pawn he just moved. He countered by moving his knight to threaten whatever move I might make on his pawn.

"No record? Really?" By this time, Ms. Asahina had poured us tea. I turned to her.

"Hey, Ms. Asahina?"

"Yes, Kyon?" she said as she turned to me. _Ah, what a sweet voice you have. I wish I could record you reading some of my favorite books. I'd listen to you for hours on end. So cute!_

"Do you have any idea who this 'Midnight' person is?"

She stared off into space for a second, then her eyes widened. I expected her to say that it was classified or something.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know."

I just sat there, shocked. _How can you not know? You're a time traveler! Why won't your superiors tell you about him?_

_Unless…_

_No. He couldn't be._

_Could he? If he is, we're in deep trouble._

"C'mon, Kyon, it's your move. Something on your mind?"

I looked back at the chessboard, but my mind was far from the game. I still had one last source to check on.

"Nagato, do you know who this mystery guy is?"

Nagato didn't look up from her book as she replied, "No."

_Well, then I guess Haruhi was right. This is a mystery._ _Oh man, why me?_

"It's still your move, Kyon."

I sighed, looked back at the board and tipped my king over. He fell slowly until he hit the board.

I stood and picked up my bag, which had somehow made its way down to the clubroom. I heard movement beside me as Koizumi stood up and stretched.

"Well, we might as well go over to Nagato's house now and wait," he said in his annoyingly agreeable tone.

"I'll be out in a minute," Ms. Asahina said sweetly.

"We'll wait," I said as Koizumi and I exited the room. I closed the door and leaned against the wall. Nagato just stood there, staring ahead out the window. Koizumi leaned against the wall uncomfortably close to me.

"I guess the good thing about this is that this mystery of Ms. Suzumiya's will keep her occupied and happy for the time being."

_Good for you. Less Closed Spaces for you to deal with, I guess._

He laughed. "Yes, and since it's our job to keep her happy so that she doesn't destroy the world."

I was probably going to regret asking this, but…

"Hey, Koizumi. Is this another ploy of your Organization? Like the whole closed circle thing on the island?"

He turned at me with that persistent smile of his. "Now, why would we actually murder someone just to keep Ms. Suzumiya happy? We wouldn't go that far, Kyon."

_I'm not so sure about that. I mean, that smile of yours would make anyone suspicious of you if they knew what you really are._

I heard the door open, and Ms. Asahina walked out back in her school uniform.

"Well, we better go," Koizumi said. I hefted my bag onto my shoulder, and we were off.

We arrived outside Nagato's apartment a half hour later. Not surprisingly, Haruhi was already there.

"Wow. You guys all showed up early. Even you did, Kyon. I'm impressed. Keep this up, and you might move up the ranks."

"Gee, thanks." I replied sarcastically.

"Well, since we're all here early, we may as well get down to business. Yuki, are you sure that Asakura's living in this apartment complex?". Nagato just stood and nodded.

"Cool! Well, do you know her door code?" Another nod. _Oh, Nagato, you don't have to cater to her constant demands._

"Well, hurry up and enter it!"

Nagato walked inside to the door. We followed her. She entered the code, and the elevator opened. We all got in and soon I felt the all too familiar movement of the elevator rising. All the while I could see that Haruhi was impatiently tapping her feet, that excited glimmer in her eyes and that smile on her face.

Finally, we got to the fifth floor. Haruhi bounded ahead of everyone else and straight up to room 505. She knocked. By the time the door opened, we were all standing there. Ms. Asakura was the one who opened the door.

"Oh, uh, hi guys," she greeted us pleasantly enough, but I could tell that she was a bit confused. She looked directly at Nagato. Nagato just stared back at her.

"Can we come in? We want to ask you a few questions." Haruhi asked in a completely different tone of voice. It almost seemed…polite. _No way. Haruhi? Polite? Ha!_

"Sure," she replied. She had apparently regained her composure. She moved aside and we all stepped in. it was reminiscent of Nagato's apartment. In reverse.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" Ms. Asakura asked.

"Nothing for me," Haruhi replied.

"N…no thanks," Ms. Asahina said.

"I'm fine. Thank you for the offer, though," Koizumi said. I just shook my head.

"Well, then, what's this all about?" Ms. Asakura asked after we had all sat down on the couches.

Haruhi steepled her fingers and stared at Ms. Asakura with a serious face. "We'd like to talk to you…about your new boyfriend."

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter, Midnight officially meets the S.O.S. Brigade! Stay tuned!<strong>

**morbiusgreen**_  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

**Midnight's POV**

After school today, I was dragged around the entire school by Asakura. I have to admit, it was a very interesting school. I really didn't know what it had to do with the murder. Maybe it was to keep my cover story secret. Anyway, after a few minutes of following my fake girlfriend around, we came to the Principal's office. It was still closed off. Asakura offered to bend reality to make us invisible so that we could go in, but I declined the offer. I prefer to do things legally. She nodded and we walked back to the apartment. As soon as we got back, I went to my new bedroom and collapsed on the bed. I was still tired. I must still be recovering from Asakura's kiss, or whatever the hell she did to me.

I was almost about to doze off when I heard a knock on the door. I heard Asakura open the door. voices from the other room. A few seconds later, someone opened the door

"Oh, uh, hi guys," I heard Asakura say.

"Can we come in? We want to ask you a few questions." _Why does that voice sound familiar?_

"Sure," I heard Asakura reply. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Nothing for me," I heard the same voice reply.

"N…no thanks," I heard a new female voice interject.

"I'm fine. Thank you for the offer, though," Another voice, this one male. _What was going on?_

I just lay there and continued to listen. "Well, then, what's this all about?" Ms. Asakura finally asked.

There was a pause, and then, the first female voice said. "We'd like to talk to you…about your new boyfriend."

Uh oh. I slowly got out of bed and crept to the door. It was open slightly so I put my ear to the crack and continued listening.

"Okay! What do you want to know about him?"

"Only that he's the sweetest guy you'll ever meet!" I rolled my eyes and smiled. That sounded so corny.

"Is that all? Can you tell us a bit about his family? Why is he staying with you?"

"You mean, he didn't tell you?" _Oh, no. please, don't bring that up. Please! That'll complicate things immensely._

"He made me promise not to tell." _Phew!_

"Aw, c'mon! We won't tell anyone! Please?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Hmm," I heard the voice murmer. I finally was able to place the voice. It was that girl from earlier who was questioning Asakura in the classroom. I really didn't catch her name.

"Well, is he here? Maybe he'll talk to us." That was the male voice I heard earlier.

"Good idea, Koizumi!" the girl said.

"He went to his room after we got home. I can check to see if he's awake," I heard Asakura say.

_Oh, damn it, damn it, damn it! What should I do? Should I pretend to be asleep, or go out and answer their question?_ _Gah! Think, Midnight, think!_

I was interrupted by Asakura opening the door with a loud bang. Fortunately for me, I had begun to pace the room and wasn't anywhere near the door. Damn, she can move fast.

"Midnight," she whispered, "There are some people here who want to speak to you."

"I heard," I replied.

"What are you going to do? Haruhi seems pretty insistent on seeing you. I would recommend you go. She is capable of doing…unspeakable things if she doesn't get her way."

_Unspeakable? Like murder or something? Well, I may as well get this over with. I suppose having a strange student transfer in only a week after someone at the school was murdered is a bit mysterious. Ah well. Time to put some people into some false ease._

"Okay, I'm coming," I sighed. Asakura smiled and grabbed my hand. She led me out and into the living room. Sitting on the couches, I saw five young teens. Two I knew: the girl and guy from my class, but the other three I hadn't seen before. One was an extremely sexy redhead with a somewhat confused look on her face, another was a blank faced purple haired girl who just stared at me. The only other guy just smiled at me and nodded as I entered the room.

"Um…hi everyone. Asa…I mean, Ryouko here tells me that you want to ask me a coup;le of questions. Is that correct?"

"Yes!" the girl in my class replied.

"Well, I'd be glad to help, but can I at least know your names?"

"Sure. I am Haruhi Suzumiya, leader of the S.O.S. Brigade" S.O.S. Brigade? What the hell…? "This is Kyon, Itsuki Koizumi, Yuki Nagato and Mikuru Asahina," she continued, gesturing to each in turn. The name Mikuru Asahina sounded familiar. It took me a few seconds to place the name.

My ring began to vibrate like crazy.

Now, before I go on, I suppose I should break down and tell you what the deal is with the ring I keep mentioning. Basically, it's a Paranorm detector. The jewel on it would change color and patterns to alert me to what type of Paranorm I was dealing with right after vibrating. I had connected a number of patterns and colors to their names. Whenever a new one came up, I would see the words appear hovering in the air.

Where did I get it, you might ask? Truthfully, I found it lying on the ground a year before I started taking up cases and had immediately seen the value of a Paranorm detector after my first encounter with the vampires in my hometown. So I had acquired the habit of never taking it off. And apparently, my ring was detecting three types of Paranorms.

"So, you're Asakura's boyfriend, huh?" Koizumi asked. His voice seemed jovial, but I got the feeling that he was putting on airs.

"That's right."

"How did you two meet?" Koizumi asked again.

I sat down and began.

"It was about a year ago. I had just gotten back from a week trip to New York." (I saw Kyon glance over at Koizumi slightly) "I saw a moving truck outside of my apartment complex. She was trying to lift something heavy, so I went over to help. For the next few hours I helped her and her family unpack. To thank me, they invited me out to dinner at a local restaurant that I recommended to them. After that I found out that Ryouko and I were in the same class at my high school. We became good friends and about six months later we became boyfriend/girlfriend."

"Where did you learn Japanese?" the guy from my class finally spoke up. I could tell from his face that he didn't seem to trust me.

"Ryouko taught me," I replied, and I felt my cheeks get hot at the memory of the kiss that started it all. I supposed that helped my credibility. "Apparently I'm a quick study. When we first met, she said hello to me in Japanese. I had no idea whether to be polite or insulted, since I didn't know what she said. To me, it sounded like an insult."

I saw Koizumi smile even more at that.

"Any other questions I can answer?" I asked.

"Yea, Asakura here says that you two are roommates. How come you're not with your families?"

That struck a chord with me. My pleasant demeanor faltered for a bit. I felt the sadness returning again. With an effort of will I pushed it back down. _I can't afford this. I have a job to do_.

Apparently Haruhi noticed my falter. Unfortunately, she decided to press the matter.

"So, what happened to them?" she asked. Finally, the one called Kyon spoke up.

"Hey, Haruhi. If he doesn't want to say, then don't make him, okay? Sorry about that."

I raised my hand and waved it. "It's not a problem at all. I don't mind telling, but I need to get Ryou-chan's permission first. Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead," she replied in a sad voice. _Wow, she's a great actress, for an interface._

I cleared my throat and continued.

"My parents have been dead for some time. They were prominent and wealthy lawyers. On September 11, 2001, they were on one of the flights that hit the World Trade Center. I moved in with my uncle in his apartment. Ryouko's parents died about two months ago. She was so sad, that she wanted to move back here, and she asked me to join her. Well, my uncle gave me permission and so, here I am."

It should be noted that the hand I waved earlier was the one with the ring on it. With that wave of the hand, I had identified three of the Paranorms in the room. There was an interface, a time traveler and an Esper in the room. I didn't have to have my ring identify which one was which, because I could tell. I'll explain why later. But the ring had said there were five in the room, not counting Asakura. I didn't know who the other two were, but I had a suspicion that they were a type of Paranorm called Otherskind, who were humans who had been granted powers from some unknown source. I had heard some of my Paranorm friends say that their powers came from God, but I wasn't so sure. It was the best explanation I had ever heard, however.

"How long have you been in Japan?" the person called Kyon asked.

I could tell that he didn't believe me, but I had to keep up the façade, so I replied without thinking, "About a week. I haven't been in school because I've been settling in." _Oh, crap! Why did I say a week?_

"Did you hear about the principal of North High being murdered here a week ago?" Haruhi asked. _Yup. I knew she'd pick up on my mistake._

"Uh, no," I replied in what I thought was a relatively innocent voice. I turned to Asakura and asked, "Did you know?"

"Yea. Some of the girls were talking about it earlier." I knew she was telling the truth. It had been during lunch time. I was resting on my desk when she had the conversation. Even then, she had been a great actress.

"I see…" Haruhi said, focusing on me with intense brown eyes. I could almost hear the wheels in her head turning.

"Well, thanks for talking to us, Midnight! It's always a policy of the Brigade to get to know new people! Well, see you in class tomorrow! Bye!"

And with those eccentric, the girl known as Haruhi Suzumiya stood and was out before I could blink. Everyone else filed out slowly. Just before he left, however, I saw Kyon look back at me with a suspicious look on his face. I smiled slightly and waved. He waved in return and was gone.

"Hmmm, okay, what was that about? Who was that girl and her friends?" I asked, switching back to English, when I was sure they were out of earshot.

Asakura sat down beside me.

"Ms. Suzumiya is not your typical human." _Well, after all, she's an Otherskind._ But I kept my mouth shut and let her continue.

"She subconsciously has the ability to create or destroy specific data from out of thin air. In other words, she could be classified in your terminology as an omnipotent being."

_I'm not going to argue with her about that, although I do know that she's wrong. But seriously, two Otherskinds? I really hope they don't interfere with the investigation._

It was then I realized that one of them would be trying to interfere. Asakura didn't talk about Kyon as being an Otherskind. Kyon was a pre-awakened Otherskind. So, as far as he knew, he was a normal human being, and for all intents and purposes, he was. He couldn't use his powers, both consciously or subconsciously. Haruhi, on the other hand, was a half-awakened Otherskind.

Now, I don't claim to know much about Otherskind, since I've never run into any of them before, but I do know this: the half-awakened and full-awakened can subconsciously sense others of their kind and alter reality to become close to them. Obviously, this had happened with Haruhi and Kyon, but what was with the other three? Was she one of those supernatural loving weirdos? Who knows?

"She was my first assignment before I got decommissioned."

"Really? You were meant to keep an eye on her?"

"I was just a backup unit, as I told you before." _Right, I remember now._

"My faction of the Data Integration Thought Entity was hoping that, by taking action against the human called Kyon, there would be some type of reaction from Ms. Suzumiya, but I was stopped by the interface called Yuki Nagato." _So, the purple haired girl was her primary, huh?_

"Wait, what type of action did you take against him?" I asked, somehow knowing that I wouldn't like the answer.

"I attempted to kill him."

I stood suddenly and backed away. She smiled and continued, "Do not worry, Midnight. My faction was taken over by Yuki Nagato's faction, and as such I no longer am a danger."

_Easy for you to say!_ For the moment, however, I decided to try and trust what she was saying. I mean, I don't think an interface would lie.

I sighed and sat down again, suddenly very tired. _This is going to complicate things. I mean, I don't think Haruhi's going to be as direct about trying to find out more about me. And Kyon seems to know more than he let on. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows who his fellow Brigadiers are. If he does come back with the other three, then he does know, but if not, then he probably doesn't know yet. I'd be surprised if he didn't come back with them, though._

"I think that they are going to be back sometime soon," I said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they came back tonight."

She seemed a bit surprised by that. "How do you know?"

I smiled and winked at her. "That's what I'm paid the big bucks for, baby," I said. "Now, if you don't mind, can you get the police file for the murder of the principal? I would like to get started on solving this place. The less I'm around anyone here, the better."

She smiled back and went off to a bookshelf. She retrieved a file and handed it to me.

I sat down and began to read over the reports carefully. According to the report, the principal was last seen in the school by his secretary leaving for his hour lunch break at 12:30 P.M., local time. The last time anyone saw him was at a local restaurant ordering his lunch. When he didn't return after two hours, his secretary phoned his cell. After about five tries, she began to worry. She went into his office to see if he had returned when she had been away from her desk for about five minutes. It was then that she found him sitting in his desk, stabbed to death about sixty-five times. The pictures confirmed this.

Now, I had seen a few murders in my time, and this ranked in my top five most gruesome murders of all time. I had seen worse, though, so I'd rank this as maybe the third worst murder of all time.

I noticed that there was some type of symbol burned into his forehead. It was just six circles, like a target. I frowned. If this was the work of Paranorms, I hadn't encountered these specific ones before. On the other hand, the other logical explanation was that this was the work of some type of cult.

I asked Asakura if she knew of any cult or religion that had this mark as a symbol. She didn't know of any. I went back to reading.

It was then that I heard the door knock.

**Kyon's POV**

As we were leaving the apartment and going our separate ways, my mind wandered and continued to replay the entire encounter with the individual known as Midnight. This was my though process after I waved goodbye.

_Okay, it may be just me, but that guy seemed a bit too comfortable in the role as Ms. Asakura's boyfriend. Could it be that he really does like her, and that his story is true? Or could it be the more frightening option? _

_He knows what she is._

_Okay, assuming that the first one is true, what does Asakura want with him? Why the show? Is she trying something?_

_Now, let's just put the first option aside for a bit. What if the second option is true? In that case, who is he really? Could he really have something to do with the murder? I mean, I could be wrong, but I saw his expression change slightly when he said how long he'd been here. I guess after achieving the ability to see slight changes in Nagato's emotions, everyone else's stand out like a million watt light bulb._

I was so deep in thought that I suddenly found myself at the park where I met Nagato. Ironically, I found myself at the same bench where I had met her when she first told me who she was. It was still light out, so I decided to sit down and continue thinking.

_He must be a very good actor, because he was able to blend his real story into his obvious cover story with expert detail. If it was on the fly, that is. I wonder how many times he practiced doing this in front of the mirror._

_Okay. It's obvious that Haruhi had something to do with him transferring. What could he be now? Let's see, he seems pleasant enough. Could he be an Esper that Koizumi hasn't told me about? Maybe, but he did seem to recognize Ms. Asahina. Could he be a time traveler?_

_What about a slider? That might explain why no one knows much about him._

"That does it!" I said to no one in particular. I pulled out my cell and called Koizumi. He answered instantly.

"Koizumi, meet me back at Ms. Asakura's apartment in a half hour. We're going to have another chat with our new friend Midnight without Haruhi present." He agreed and hung up. I called Ms. Asahina and Nagato and repeated the message. I turned around and started walking back to the apartment. It took me twenty minutes to get there. Even though Haruhi didn't call this meeting, I was still the last one there.

"Okay, let's go," I told the others. Soon we were outside the apartment we had so quickly vacated. I knocked. The door opened to reveal Ms. Asakura. She smiled and said, "Midnight thought you might come back. Come on in."

_Wha…? That means…_

"Hello." I saw Midnight sitting in the same place where we had left him. He had what looked like an official looking folder in his hand. He closed it and put it down on the table then leaned back and smiled at us.

"I kind of expected for you to come back without Haruhi. The fact that it was the four of you means that you, Kyon, know who your friends actually are."

_Are you kidding me? How does he know that?_

"I also gathered from Asakura here that you know who she really is, Kyon. I mean, she did try to kill you. So, I guess you and I both have reasons to mistrust humanoid interfaces."

He gestured to the couches we had so recently occupied. Without saying a word, we all took a seat. Ms, Asakura had, by this time placed herself in the place beside Midnight.

"Now, what questions do you have that you don't want Haruhi to hear?"

_He knows who Haruhi is, too?_

"Okay, then, straight to the point. Who are you, really? Time traveler, alien, esper, slider, what?"

He smiled and replied, "Yes."

What kind of answer is that? Unless…

He laughed when he saw my face. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. But I have had dealings with each of them in the past. I have also time travelled to the past and future," (here he winked at Ms. Asahina), "been in a parallel universe, had dealings with all sorts of aliens and have used what could be considered esper powers before. Plus much, much more. I don't get why I keep running into you Paranorms all the time."

"Paranorms?" Ms. Asahina asked.

"A phrase I use to describe aliens, time travelers, sliders, espers, angels, demons, witches, vampires, fairies, mermaids and various other paranormal and unusual beings that you've never heard of before. And yes, the ones I mentioned all exist. You can trust me on this."

_Okay…_

"But let me answer your question from before. What I said in class was true. I am called Midnight by my friends and family. I am from the United States. What I lied about was the relationship between me and Asakura here. It's strictly professional. You see, she hired me to investigate the murder of your principal. And she wanted to observe me, much like your interface is watching Haruhi. And don't worry, I'm not like her. I'm just a normal human being. In fact, the only one in the room."

_But I'm human too!_

He saw the look on my face and laughed again.

"I'm sorry, Kyon. For the moment, yes, you are as normal as I am."

For the moment…?

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you more. How would the Bureau of Temporal Investigations put it? 'That's Classified.'" I saw Ms. Asahina flinch at that. _Was that the name of the organization she worked for?_

"Even though I didn't state my age in class, how old do you think I look? I want Ms. Nagato to answer this question."

She didn't hesitate. "From the dating of your cells, you are sixteen Earth years old."

He shook his head, still smiling. "So close, and yet so far. I'm actually twenty-one. go ahead, scan me for cellular regeneration imprints."

Nagato stared at Midnight for a few seconds. There was silence in the room.

"Confirmed. His cells have been regenerated. He is telling the truth."

_Coming from anyone else, I wouldn't have believed it. But coming from you, Nagato, I believe it._

"I have a part time job back in the States, but the majority of my time is spent doing what I love: detective work, if you hadn't already guessed."

I kind of had a suspicion after what he had said earlier, but to hear him say so was still somewhat of a shock.

"How long have you really been here?" Koizumi asked, that plaster smile still on his face. _Oh, if only punching it would break his face like a mirror…_

"Only for a day."

"Okay, if you're really from America, how did you learn Japanese?"

His expression changed and I saw his cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Let's just say I received some instant tutoring courtesy of Asakura after I arrived."

"I rewrote his neural pathways so that he instantly knew the Japanese language," Ms. Asakura finally spoke up.

"But, that is not important right now," Midnight said. "Any other questions?"

"H…how do you know so much about us?" I heard Ms. Asahina ask again.

He smiled. "I'm a detective. It's what I do. Okay, no more questions. Any more might reveal too much. If you have any more burning questions, I'm sorry that I can't answer them."

His tone convinced me that he was serious. I stood, thanked him and walked to the door. Everyone else followed me. I held the door open for everyone. After everyone was out, I began to follow the others down the hall. Midnight came up to the door and poked his head out.

"Before you leave, I need to give you a warning." We turned back. Suddenly his pleasant demeanor vanished as if by magic and he became very serious. He glared at everyone. His last five words somehow sent chills up my spine.

"Stay out of my way."

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Third chapter is finally up! Enjoy it. Or not. You decide! :)<strong>

**morbiusgreen**


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